still alive!!!

Okay okay...I AM still alive. I am responding to my dear friend Laura who says I need to post again. I am doing very well. i feel great and am more active than I have been in years. I feel that having this surgery is a real blessing....so why haven't I been posting?....I have been getting on the board and reading occassionally. i am amazed by the extreme success so many of you are having!!! I am VERY happy for you all....but I can't help compare my progress with yours. My progress has been very slow. People who had their surgery at the same time I did, and even after I did have lost SO much more than I have. I have not posted because the things I have to write about are so anti-climactic compared to the other posts. BUT, as I said, I am happy with how I am doing. I still read about every one and pray for every one. I am still here. keep up the good work!! Liz Hillsboro

Liz, It is so nice to hear from you. I am glad things are going well for you. I have not been on very much either, but look all the time. I just have not had the time that I would like to be on here. I hope your health is well. How much have you lost and I would love to see a pic from you. I bet you are looking fantastic. Richard

Liz, Sometimes I feel guilty posting about my considerably fast weight loss, I never mean it to come off as bragging. I knew I would lose weight fast because of my med gem test, burning 3800 calories a day at rest. But I never take that for granted, because even with the little tummy I could still regain weight. Thats why I am sooo soooo carefull . Liz, I love feeling healthy and this new life I am so afraid of ever going back to that person that I was. I feel so blessed that I have been given this chance to have my life back, and dont want to blow it. Never compare your rate of loss to anyone else. Each and every one of us is different, and your slow steady loss is the right way to do it. Not as much shock on the body. I have had to deal with significant hair loss and vitamin defienciencies because of my rapid loss. I am so proud of you and how far you have come and know you are going to make your goal. You are a strong beautiful lady that I am rather fond of ya know!!! I feel God had us meet in that waiting room that day for a special purpose, and you have touched my life in so many ways. Thanks for stopping in and giving us an update. And please NEVER allow yourself to feel you are not keeping up with anyone elses standards. WE all lose weight just as our body needs us to. Keep up the good work and NEVER give up on your dream... I Love you Laura

aah Liz, don't compare yourself to other peoples' weight loss! Everyone is different, and your loss won't be the same as anyone else. I have a friend who had her surgery a month after me and we talked everyday while we were recuperating and then had weekly weigh ins at work. I lost weight very quickly while hers was slower. I began to notice that she was avoiding me and not returning phone calls and emails. We have a mutual friend that I called and asked if anything was wrong or if I had said something to hurt her. Finally my friend came to my office and told me that she didn't want to talk to me for awhile because she got depressed seeing my rapid weight loss while hers had stalled. I tried to explain to her that we were different and suggested that she call Dr Curry's office to have some of her questions answered. She said that she was sorry but she just didn't want to see me for awhile. I respected her choice but I was deeply hurt, and didn't want to lose my support buddy. A few weeks later she came back to my office and apologised and said that she had been depressed. Thankfully we were able to pick right back up and things are good between us now. You just keep doing things at your own pace and try not to worry about anyone's weight loss but yours. Every pound you lose is a celebration for all of us! Cathy

Thank you every one for your support. Sometimes even though your brain tells you that certain feelings are rather silly, you still can't help feeling the way you do. Truthfully I have felt as if there was something that I was not doing correctly (even though my Dr. is very happy with me)...and the old insecurities of "why isn't it working for me?" came back in full force. This has been my problem and NOT that of any of you wonderful people on this message board...so I just sort of stayed silent to get over it. I have lost 80 pounds in 8 months...I have NEVER lost 80 pounds EVER in my life before and I am so grateful. I still have 100 to go, but my co-workers and my father (a Dr.) seem to think that I have "almost lost all your weight". They are in shock when I let them know that I am not half way yet. Another plus for me is that I have lost no hair, and I have VERY little saggy skin. And the MOST importaht part of all is my energy level, and how good I feel. I truely am SO HAPPY for every one of us that have been able to have the surgery and am pulling for all who are waiting for it. Thank you for reaching out to me...I should have known!!! Liz Hillsboro

Another plus for me is that I have lost no hair, and I have VERY little saggy skin. And the MOST importaht part of all is my energy level, and how good I feel. Miss Liz, 80 pounds my love is nothing to sneeze about., You are doing awesome.. And you are doing it the right way for you.. Not me, not Cindy, not Vicki.. YOU!!! I am so proud of you and glad we could bring you out of hiding. It might help someone else to know that some folks dont just melt away over night that for some the process is slow and steady, but you do have the benefits of nice tight skin, a full head of hair and lots of energy. Keep doing what you are doing and you will get there!!!!! I hope this post makes some sense, I am under the influence of pain meds for my foot. Breaking a sewing needle off in my foot was not the smartest thing to do.

Hi Liz! I've really missed talking to you and seeing you at our support group meetings! Please, please don't isolate yourself because you feel "inadequate"... we are all in this together. It's way too easy to fall into the trap of comparing yourself with others. We are all individuals who have so many variables to our progress. My "bestest" friend in the whole-wide world is 3 years post surgery and she is still losing some of what she considers to be her last excess weight. She had often been discouraged and felt that she was a "failure"... it may have taken her longer along the way, but, she is finally there and the healthy habits are so well engrained that they are second nature. The great news is that you have lost 80 pounds!!!! Think of how much healthier you must be as a result. Remember that this is a lifetime process... not just another diet. Keep up the good work! I hope to see you soon... even if it is running into you at Walmart or Kroger's sometime!!! Please take care, Karen